1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to body armor which incorporates flexible fiber composites and has improved knife-stab resistance.
2. Description of the Related Art
Body armor, such as bullet-resistant vests, are known in the art. Such armor may be made from various constructions in which high strength fibers are incorporated into various composites. Body armor may be in the form of rigid composites and flexible composites.
Rigid body armor provides good resistance to puncture by sharp objects, such as knife blades, but they are also very stiff and relatively bulky. As a result, rigid body armor garments (e.g., vests) are less comfortable to wear than flexible body armor garments. However, the latter may not provide adequate resistance to knife blades and the like.
It would be desirable to provide a body armor which was both flexible and resistant to puncture by sharp objects, such as sharp knives. Such armor desirably would be comfortable to wear and not costly to manufacture. In addition, it would be desirable to provide a flexible knife-stab resistant composite material which can also be used with ballistic resistant materials to provide additional protection to the wearer.